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Foreign Words and Phrases Used in English: List 1

Learn these foreign words, phrases, and expressions that are commonly used by speakers of English.
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Full list of words from this list:

  1. ad hoc
    often improvised or impromptu
    In 2015 they turned their shared studio in Chinatown into an ad hoc alternative art space and impromptu residency program called Practice. New York Times (Jan 12, 2017)
  2. ad hominem
    appealing to personal considerations rather than to reason
    Google is trying to quell the debates roiling its workforce by setting new internal rules designed to limit offensive language and ad hominem attacks against fellow employees. Wall Street Journal (Jun 27, 2018)
  3. avant-garde
    radically new or original
    The art establishment finds these artists too avant-garde in their use of light, a bright palette, visible brushstrokes, unusual composition, and strange angles. Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers
  4. bona fide
    not counterfeit or copied
    Mark Owen isn’t his real name, but book publisher Penguin says its new author was a bona fide Navy SEAL. Time (Aug 24, 2012)
  5. bon voyage
    expression of goodwill at the start of a trip or new venture
    With that, I bid thee farewell, dear readers, and bon voyage. Washington Post (Mar 26, 2020)
  6. caveat
    a warning against certain acts
    Lest these conclusions be misinterpreted, we should end this chapter with caveats against exaggerating two points: peoples’ readiness to accept better crops and livestock, and the constraints imposed by locally available wild plants and animals. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
  7. caveat emptor
    the principle that the buyer takes on the risk of a purchase
    She cautioned the public to weigh “both potential benefits and risks,” to which I would add caveat emptor — buyer beware. New York Times (Mar 8, 2021)
  8. cum laude
    with honors; with academic distinction
    She graduated cum laude from Cornell, and received a master’s degree in the science of education from Johns Hopkins University. New York Times (Oct 7, 2018)
  9. de facto
    existing, whether with lawful authority or not
    Installed in a prime position in the Basilica di San Marco, which at that time was the official church of the Venetian state, it became a de facto symbol of the city and its empire. New York Times (Mar 31, 2011)
  10. deja vu
    the experience of thinking a new situation already occurred
    The play caused deja vu for Young, who recalled seeing a pass just like that a decade ago. Los Angeles Times (Mar 2, 2021)
  11. deus ex machina
    an agent who appears unexpectedly to solve a difficulty
    I’m still fantasizing that a deus ex machina will descend from the heavens to resolve the situation. Love, Hate & Other Filters
  12. en masse
    all together
    At other times the most vocal experts suddenly agree en masse that the old wisdom was wrong and that the new wisdom is, for a little while at least, irrefutably right. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
  13. mea culpa
    an acknowledgment of your error or guilt
    If Toby went to the apartment right now, a mea culpa on his lips, Luke would forgive him. We'll Fly Away
  14. per se
    with respect to its inherent nature
    She didn’t run, per se, but she left the line and did a ridiculously fast walk toward the back of the store, near the clearance section, where they did their cooking classes. Far from the Tree
  15. pro bono
    done for the public good without compensation
    Many of these cases were done on a pro bono basis, as I do half of my cases without fee. Washington Post (Aug 6, 2019)
  16. quid pro quo
    something given in exchange for something else
    The most logical explanation is that the wrestlers made a quid pro quo agreement: you let me win today, when I really need the victory, and I’ll let you win the next time. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
  17. status quo
    the existing state of affairs
    People tended to reconcile themselves to the status quo, declaring that ‘this is how it always was, and this is how it always will be’. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
  18. tete-a-tete
    a private conversation between two people
    The film is inspired by the 1970 meeting between Presley and the president, a tete-a-tete captured in a famous White House photograph. Washington Times (Apr 12, 2016)
  19. verbatim
    using exactly the same words
    Representatives of the other two websites said their computers are programmed to copy data verbatim from Wikipedia, never checking whether it is false or factual. The World Is Flat
  20. vice versa
    with the order reversed
    If something is not alive, then it’s dead, and vice versa. The Sense of Style
Created on Wed May 19 13:13:00 EDT 2021

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